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Differences in Adolescent Experiences of Polyvictimization and Suicide Risk by Sexual Minority Status
Author(s) -
Johns Michelle M.,
Lowry Richard,
Hipp Tracy N.,
Robin Leah,
Shafir Shira
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12595
Subject(s) - psychology , youth risk behavior survey , sexual minority , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , poison control , injury prevention , sma* , occupational safety and health , human factors and ergonomics , sexual orientation , medicine , medical emergency , social psychology , mathematics , pathology , combinatorics
Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) report more suicide risk behaviors than heterosexual adolescents. Polyvictimization (co‐occurrence of multiple types of victimization) may be an important, underresearched correlate of this disparity. With the 2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey ( N = 13,179), national estimates of polyvictimization and suicide risk were assessed among high school students by sexual minority status (SM vs. heterosexual), and multivariate relationships between sexual minority status, polyvictimization, and suicide risk were tested. Additionally, risk profiles of those who experienced polyvictimization (2 + types of victimization; n = 1,932) were compared across sexual minority status. Results confirm that SMA are more likely to experience polyvictimization than heterosexual adolescents (31.8% v. 12.9%, respectively); however, also indicate that polyvictimization does not fully explain elevated suicide risk among SMA.